1994 SGFA Cup Final
The 1994 SGFA Cup Final was the 14th final of the SGFA Cup, the main domestic knockout cup competition in Gregorian football. The match was played at the National Cricket Ground in Warner Bay on May 28, 1994, between Bonneville United and Manorham. Manorham won the match 3-0, with all three goals scored by Andy Morton, making him the first player to record a hat-trick in an SGFA Cup Final. Build-up Both sides were looking to rebound from a disappointing 1993-94 League A season. United, who had won the 1992-93 league title, began the new season by defeating FC Chapman in the 1993 SGFA Shield. The second league campaign for manager Richard Berghuis would not be as successful as the first, however, as an influx of new acquisitions brought in to strengthen the side instead caused chaos in the dressing room. United slipped to third by season's end behind first-time winners CGC Red Stars, but perhaps more importantly behind local rivals New Castle. Manorham, just two years removed from the 1991-92 title, had fallen to sixth place and there had been much speculation in the media towards the end of the season that manager Gary Guilford would not be retained for the following season. Heavy rain throughout the week leading up to the match caused the pitch at the National Cricket Ground to be very wet and waterlogged in parts up until matchday morning. Groundskeepers used a giant roller to eliminate standing water from the field but the game was played under overcast conditions and with a very heavy pitch. Match summary United started out the brighter; Steve Stratton had two early chances to score, shooting high after being put in the clear by United captain Tim Callaghan in the 10th minute, and then hitting the crossbar with a shot from outside the area just two minutes later. But for all their early pressure, United could not find the opening goal and they went into half-time frustrated by missed chances and resolute Manorham defending. Less than two minutes into the second half, Manorham took the lead when Andy Morton slipped in behind the defense and fired a first-time shot into the bottom corner past a stranded David Jackson. Reeling from the early goal, United struggled to find their feet in the second half, and Morton made it 2-0 on the hour when he arrived at the back post to volley home a deflected header inside the United area. Seven minutes from time, Morton was brought down in the box from behind by United defender Matthew Rice, who received his second yellow card of the match for the challenge and was sent off. Morton converted the ensuing penalty to complete his hat-trick, becoming the first player to do so in an SGFA Cup Final. The result was the largest margin of victory in an SGFA Cup Final at the time, a record which was matched by Bonneville United in 2006 and finally eclipsed in 2009 when FC Chapman defeated Independence 4-0. Match details , , }} Post-match The two sides would return to the Cricket Ground the following year for the 1995 SGFA Cup Final. United won 1-0 to exact revenge for this result. On May 19, 2019, almost exactly 25 years after Morton's Cup final hat-trick heroics, his son Chase repeated the feat in Bonneville United colors; his three goals helped United defeat New Castle 3-2 in the 2019 final. Category:Match pages Category:Bonneville United F.C. matches Category:Manorham F.C. matches Category:1993-94 in Gregorian football